Pirates' Clint Hurdle recalls time 'Kissing Bandit' ignored him
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said he was pleased no one was injured Sunday when a 24-year-old man casually strolled onto the field and attempted to shake the hand of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Brad Miller.
“It was weird,” Hurdle said. “I’ve never seen that before.”
The unidentified man’s casual gait might have been a first for Hurdle, but he was on the field when Morganna Roberts, the infamous “Kissing Bandit” of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, ran onto the field and kissed the Kansas City Royals’ George Brett.
Roberts gained fame for rushing fields and courts to kiss some of the greatest athletes of all-time, including Steve Garvey, Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Brett (twice).
Hurdle said she ignored him.
“She only kissed superstars, man,” he said.
Pirates officials had no comment on the team’s policy for trying to discourage trespassers. It was the first such intrusion in several years. When the Pirates extend the protective netting in front of the seats from foul pole to foul pole, as they have plans to do, it will be even more difficult for fans to jump onto the field.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.